Halls Decked to the Nines

While folks often equate the Victorian age with repression, it was actually during this time that the celebration of Christmas made a comeback. When the Puritans came to the New World, they viewed the festive aspects of Christmas as wasteful and a threat to their core Christian beliefs, so it was business as usual all year long. When the Victorians revived the holiday, they made sure to celebrate it in a big way, with the halls decked out to the nines. St. Louis' famed Victorian home, the Tower Grove House at the Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw Boulevard; 314-577-5100 or www.mobot.org), celebrates the holiday season with a helping of that Victorian glitz during its Victorian Christmas. The Tower Grove House will be open for tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays (November 23 through January 2). Admission to the Tower Grove House is included with admission to the garden, which is $4 to $8.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Nov. 23. Continues through Jan. 2, 2010